State Department Finds No Evidence Linking Tufts Student Rumeysa Ozturk to Antisemitism or Terrorism, Despite ICE Detention in Louisiana

59 posts • Grok (2)

Updated Apr 15, 2025, 01:16 AM

A State Department memo revealed that the Trump administration had no evidence linking Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk, a Fulbright scholar and PhD student, to antisemitism or support for terrorism, despite claims made by the administration. Ozturk, a Turkish national, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on March 25 in Somerville, Massachusetts, and is currently held in a facility in Basile, Louisiana. Ozturk's arrest came after she was targeted by the pro-Israel website Canary Mission for co-authoring an op-ed in the Tufts campus newspaper criticizing the university's response to Israel's actions in Gaza, which have resulted in over 62,000 Palestinian deaths. The memo, prepared days before her detention, contradicted the Department of Homeland Security's assertions that Ozturk supported Hamas, a designated terrorist organization. Her lawyers, including Jessie Rossman, argue that her arrest and continued detention violate her constitutional rights, including her First Amendment right to free speech. They filed an emergency habeas petition and are seeking her release or transfer to Vermont, where her case is being heard by Judge William Sessions. A hearing regarding jurisdictional issues was held in Vermont, with the judge considering whether to order Ozturk's return to Vermont for further proceedings. The conditions at the Louisiana ICE facility have been described as 'inhumane' and 'unsafe' by Ozturk, who has reported limited access to food, hygiene supplies, and proper treatment for her asthma. Her case has raised concerns about the use of immigration law to punish individuals for their political speech, with Senator Marco Rubio defending the visa revocation.

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Sources

washingtonpost.com(9)reuters.com(2)mychamplainvalley.com(2)nbcnews.com(2)

Zaid Jilani

@ZaidJilani

So now they want to deport green card holders who followed the law to a T and spoke up *against* antisemitism? https://t.co/hDcC803nRZ

Anna C. Roosevelt

@acroosevelt

AP reports though one State Department memorandum said detained Tufts student M. Ozturk had anti-Jewish associations supportive of terrorist organizations, another said there was no evidence she took part in antisemitic activities or supported a terrorist organization.